Thousands of Migrants Went to Ceuta Seeking Better Lives. These Families Are Still Waiting for the Proof-Of-Life Call

Omar Lotfi’s family has been crushed under the weight of unanswered questions ever since he went missing.

From pleas on social media to contacting hospitals, aid groups and authorities, they’ve left no stone unturned.

Lotfi, 24, went missing on July 31, after leaving his hometown of Dar Bouazza on the outskirts of the Moroccan city of Casablanca, in the hope of reaching Ceuta. He was among more than 70,000 migrants who last week rushed toward the border with the small Spanish exclave in North Africa in the hope of starting new lives in Europe after a recent Supreme Court ruling on migrant returns.

At least 72 of them died, some drowning and others trampled in the charge. Most of the others have since returned to Morocco, but a few thousand remain, according to the Ceuta government. And among those that remain, some, like Lotfi, remain unaccounted for.

Since he was last seen in the Moroccan border town on Fnideq that day, nobody has been in contact with him, his sister Mariem says.

“We do not know where he is, whether he is safe, whether he was taken to a hospital, detained, or if something else happened,” she told CNN. “The uncertainty has been devastating for our family.”

The family are urging anyone with information regarding his whereabouts — no matter how little — to come forward.

{snip}

Omar has tried to cross into Ceuta with a friend, who also hasn’t been heard from, Mariem told CNN. His decision to go caught the family by surprise.

{snip}

Experts say that, alongside the Supreme Court ruling, the relatively strong Spanish economy, a recent program to grant legal status to migrants already in the country and longstanding economic pressures on young people in Morocco and elsewhere in North Africa are factors that encouraged the border rush.

{snip}

The Ceuta government estimates that of the thousands of migrants that remain, more than 800 are minors.

Abdullah Al-Hafi, 17, is thought to be among them. The last time his family heard from him was when he was heading to Fnideq, Morocco, on July 30.

“Our family is living through a very painful time,” his brother Mohammed said. “Every day without news increases our fear and sadness.”

Like others, they have contacted Moroccan and Spanish authorities, but to no avail. Like other families, they are hoping someone with knowledge of his whereabouts will come forward.

Fourteen-year-old Nada Shiba was also headed to the Ceuta border crossing with her mother when they got separated and the young teen went missing, her uncle Yousef told CNN.

At the border, Nada went through but her mother did not, and ended up coming back — which has stirred tensions within the family.

{snip}